Electric flashing device



Feb. 27, 1923. 1,446,780. v. w. BALZER ET AL.

ELECTRIC FLASHING DEVICE.

FILED SEP1.14,I920.

A M v a5 3:: 20 A s I l i -3 l I 1 l l l 1 A4? 4 1 1 m @a-Um.

Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

v UNITED sTATEs' 1,446,780 PATENT OFFICE.

VERNON W. IBAI TZER AND JOHN Mex. BALLOU, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOBS TO IVAR L. SHOGBAN, 01 LOS. ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

I ELECTRIC FLASHING DEVICE.

Application filed September 14, 1920. Serial No. $10,801.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that we, VERNON W. Bnnznn and J oHN' MoK. BALLOT), citizens of the United States, residin at Los .Angeles, in the county of Los Ange es and State of California, have invented a'new and useful Electrio Flashing Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for automatically and periodically interrupting'an electric circuit.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide two independent circuits within the device operatively influencing one another.

Another object is to providea main operating circuit and a derived circuit, both partly passing through parts of the device.

Another object is to provide a main operating circuit and a derived circuit, b0th passing through parts of the device, and both influenced by the same source of suply. p Another object isto provide a circuit interrupting means within the device influencing both circuits.

Another object is to provide a circuit interrupting, means within the device influencing both circuits, the "moment of commencing interruption in the operating circuit being the moment'of ending the interruption in the" derived circuit,- andthe moment of ending interruption in the operating circuit being the moment of commenc I 111g lnterruption 1n the derived c rcuit.

Another, object is to retard the periods between forming a circuit and interrupting the circuit in the operating circuit so as to form desired periods of flashing in the derived circuit. l

Another object is to provide adjustable means for adjusting the periods between the flashing and for adjusting the quickness of V interruption.

0 her ob 'ects Wlll appear from the following description .and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the controlling disc valve, illustrating the adjusting means in the face of the disc valve. 2

netic source of this device when under the ilfluence of the electric \source indicated a 5.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the current from the main electric source 5 passes through the conductor 6, the conductor 7 the, coil 3, the conductor 8, the base plate 9, the contactarm 10, the contacts points 11 and 12, the base oi supporting plate 13, and the conductor 14 back to the main electric source 5.

This circuit so formed will hereafter be called the operating circuit.

Another circuit is formed, originating from the same main electric'source 5, passing through the conductor 6, the supporting member 15, the spring member 16, the contact points 17 and 18, the contact arm 19, the supporting member 20, the conductor 21, the members and points and means of using current 22, and the conductor 23 back to the main electric source 5.

This circuit will hereafter be called the derived circuit.

Through a closed operating circuit, as

derivedcircuit between the contact points 17 and 18, which is normally a quick movement or action.

The block or member 26 is mounted on a piston. or at least operatively engaged with a piston 32. .This piston is disposed in a cylinder 33, which is provided with a small opening 34 in the bottom 35, so that air or any. fluid or other matter disposed in the cy1-. inder below the piston and above the bottom 35 is being checked by such; opening 34. The

opening 34 is cbntrolledibypthe washer or disc valve 36 ;turnably mountedjon the screw 37 This washer is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2 of the drawing-{showing the perforation or hole ,;38j and the groove 39, the groove 39 gradually'decreasing in size and depth from a point near the hole 38 until it disappears fromjthe surface of the disc 36 at 40. Such The coil 3 and the core 4 form the maggradually sized groove serves to 'form ad-,

justable means for the passage through the bottom 35 of the cylinder 33, as will easily be understood, since a setting of the washer or-disc 36 so as to bring the groove 39 in front of the opening 34 in the bottom 35 in such a manner that the shallow terminationof the groove will only allow a very small passage through the opening can easily be accomplished. By controlling the passage with a circumferential groove 41 to engage the end of the lever 42.- The lever 42 has preferably the same basic point around which to swing as the lever 10, which, in the drawing is indicated by the pin 43, provided on the base 9. A spring 44 is engaging both levers, in the drawingsuch engaging being indicated at 45 and 46. Normally, such engaging is arranged so that the spring becomes located with its longitudinal centerline sidewise of the common swinging point 43. Such arrangement naturally produces the efiect that an upward movement of the piston and thereby a swinging of the arm 42 in such a direction brings the engaging point 46 to a position so that the center-line of the spring 44 becomes located on the opposite side of the common swinging point 43, as

, will easily be undermood. 'As soon as the tension of the spring is so, transferred to the opposite side from the commonsswinging point 43 of the two arms 42a'nd 10, the contact-arm 10 becomes subject to a tension which has a tendency of swinging the contact arm 10 in an upwardly direction to come. to rest against the plate or member 49. Such a movement and actionzis normally produced rather quickly, thereby quickly breaking the contact between the .two contact points 11 and 12. A breaking of this contact natura-lly' means an interruption of the circuit through the coil, that being the operating circuit of the device:

As long as an electric current is passing.

. through the coil 3, the corei4ris being magnetized for drawing the block 24 as well as for drawing the blockonmember' 26, therefore, an interruption in'the operating circuit through the coilmeans'an' interrupbers 24 and 28.

by the influence of its own'weight, retarded in such descending movement by the con-' trolling mechanism on the bottom of the cylinder 33. On reaching the lowermost position, in which the member 26 and piston 32 are illustrated, the spring 44 becomes naturally again located on the same side of the swinging point 43, thereby drawing the "contact arm 10 to the same position in which it is illustrated and closing the operating circuit as first described.

This operation is automatically repeated, a closed operating circuit causing the breaking of the derived circuit between the contact points 17 and 18 and'also causing the interrupting of the operating circuit, while the interrupting of the operating circuit means the releasingof the hammer 31 and thereby the closing of the derived circuit at 17 and 18 producing by its own interruption also the closing of its own circuit again by the falling or moving of the member or piston 32, as will easily be understood.

Providing difl'erent engaging means for the spring '44 on the arm 10 as well as on the arm 42 naturally allows an adjustment to such an extent that a shortnpward movement may be suflicient to operate the arm a through the spring for interruption of the operating circuit while also allowing a lengthening-of such a movement, as will easilv be understood.-

e prefer to provide screw holes or similar means 47 in the arm 42, and similar means 48 ihthe arm 10. Instead of securing the spring 44 to the arm 42 at the point indicated at 465 it will then be secured at a point to the left or to the right of the point 46 in one of the screw holes 47. Such changing of the spring towards the end of the operating arm 42 naturally brings the normovement of the piston 32 and member 41 before the spring will be in a position to pull the contact arm 10 to cause an inter ruption of the contact between the points 11 and 12, as will easily be understood. A changing of the opposite spring-end with relation to the point 45 on the contact arm 10 has simi- 'lar efiects, as will easily be understood. t1on of such drawingof the blocks "or mem- Only one derived circuit is illustrated in e the drawing, but it willeasily be understood The moment the operating circuit-becomes interrupted, the m ember26'is tree to descend that "an number of such derived circuits can be provided which can all be operated by the hammer 31 as long as the hammer is made of such a size to reach over such a number of contacts 16 in such derived circuits as will easily be understood without further illustration or explanation.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

In an electric flashing device, a coil disposed under the influence of an electric current in an operating circuit, a derived circuit embodying a spring contact normally closed when the operating circuit is closed, a hammer controlled by the operating circuit for opening the spring contact for interrupting the derived circuit, and a contact in the operating circuit under the influence of the coil ,for interrupting the operating circuit to close the derived circuit.

2. In an electric flashing device, a coil disposed under the influence of an electric current in an operating circuit for forming a magneticfield, a weighted member disposed under the influence of the magnetic field, an operating arm engaged with the weighted member, a contact arm disposed in the operating circuit, the operating and contact arms having the same point of support around which to swing, a spring disposed sidewise of the common support of the two arms engaging the. operating arm with the contact arm so as to hold th'e'contact arm in closed position under the tension of the spring when the operating arm is in the lowermost position while adapted to interrupt such contact when the operating arm is in a lifted position, and a de rived circuit having means adapted to close the derived circuit on the interrupting of the operating circuit.

3. In an electric flashing device, a coil disposed under the influence of an electric current in an operating circuit for forming a magnetic field, a contact, a weighted member disposed to be influenced by the magnetic field, means for timing the movement of the weighted member, means for timing the commencing and endi of the movements and operations of t e contact, and a derived circuit havin means adapted to close the derived circuit on the interrupting of the operating circuit.

4. In an electric flashing device, a coil disposed under the influence of an electric current in an operating circuit for forming a magnetic field, a contact, a weighted member disposed to be influenced by the magnetic field, means for timing the movement of the weighted member, means for timing the commencing and ending of the operation of the contact, a circuit independent of the first-named circuit of the magnetic field including a spring contact normally in closed position on interrupting of the firstnamedccontact and operating circuit, and

means disposed .under the influence of the magnetic field for compressing the spring contact for breaking the contact and the-reby the second-named circuit.

5. In an electric flashing device, an operating circuit, a coildisposed in the circuit for forming a magnetic field, "a contact disposed in the circuit, means for operating the contact under influence of the magnetic field, means for timing the operating means of the contact normally closed on the interrupting of the first-named contact and operating circuit, a second circuit including a contact, and means for disengaging the contact in the second-named circuit under the influence of the magnetic field formed by the first-named circuit.

6. In an electric flashing device, an operating circuit, a coil disposed in the circuit for forming a magnetic field, a contact disposed in the circuit, a weighted member disposed below the coil under the influence of the magnetic field, means for timing the movement of the weighted member when under the influence of the magnetic field and when free from such influence, means for timing the commencing and ending of the movement of the contact, a second circuit, a spring contact disposed inthe secondnamed circuit above the coil and normally in closed position, and a pivotally supported arm disposed above the coil and; under influence of the said coil and so disposed as to disengage the spring contact when under such magnetic influence by compressing such spring contact.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VERNON W. BALZER.

.. JOHN MoK. BALLOU.

-Witneses:

vWM. M. Amxammn,

IvAR L. SHOGRAN. 

